Detective Leading Senior Constable Gleeson was awarded the Australian Police Medal for his 41 years of service and ongoing work in the Seymour Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team
Det Ldg Sen Constable Gleeson said he was “humbled” and “a little embarrassed” about the recognition.
“When I was told I was being considered, I thought it was a huge honour and something I am extremely proud of,” he said.
“It's also a huge honour to be among the other eight recipients of the award.”
The Australian Police Medal is awarded to members of the police force for their exemplary service and dedication to protecting the Victorian community.
Det Ldg Sen Constable Gleeson started his career in 1980. After graduating, he performed duties at Malvern and Russell St police stations before transferring to Victoria Dock in 1981 and then to Northcote in 1982.
In 1986, he was promoted to detective senior constable at Preston Criminal Investigations Branch and later moved to Seymour CIB in 1989, before moving to Alexandra CIB in 2000.
On Black Saturday, in 2009, he was the responding investigator at the fire scene at Marysville where he undertook search duties, disaster victim identification processing and death notifications.
His experience saw him seconded to Crime Command's Phoenix Task Force, where he was instrumental in all facets of the investigation into the cause of the fire.
He then returned to the Alexandra CIB and in 2010 took up a permanent position at the newly-formed Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigations Team at Seymour, where he is today.
“At that time, I thought that Victoria Police weren’t investigating sexual offences and child abuse cases as well as we possibly could have,” Det Ldg Sen Constable Gleeson said.
“There was a pilot program that came up where they were trying to make it a specialised unit, with specialised training, and I saw that as a very positive step and decided I wanted in on that.
“For me, I've always enjoyed arresting offenders, particularly those who prey on the young or vulnerable.
“Taking them to court and getting some justice for victims - that's what you are able to do in the role I've got here.
“We've had a pretty good strike rate since we've started up the unit and percentages of convictions have risen. We are doing a lot better than what we used to do, so that gives you a lot of satisfaction.
“I'm very lucky to have worked with the people that I have.
“I've had some amazing mentors and people I have looked up to from working down in Melbourne and up here. There is a huge difference in country policing – you are part of a community and you try to do the best for that community.”
Det Ldg Sen Constable Gleeson was one of nine officers to be awarded an Australian Police Medal in 2021.
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